Indian Embassy in Kuwait raps Shashi Tharoor for retweeting 'anti-India' post, Congress MP clarifies

Tharoor had retweeted a post that claimed that a group of 'powerful' Kuwaiti parliamentarians have demanded from the government of Kuwait to put an immediate ban on the entry of any member of BJP into Kuwait.

File Photo (PTI)

New Delhi: The Indian Embassy in Kuwait on Friday (February 18, 2022) rapped Shashi Tharoor for retweeting what it said was an 'anti-India tweet' by a 'Pakistani agent' and asserted that such anti-India elements should not be encouraged.

The sharp response came after the Congress MP retweeted a tweet that claimed that a group of 'powerful' Kuwaiti parliamentarians have demanded from the government of Kuwait to put an immediate ban on the entry of any member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India into Kuwait.

"We can't sit back and watch Muslim girls being publicly persecuted they said. Time for the Ummah to unite," the tweet had further said. 

Referring to the tweet, Tharoor said, "Domestic actions have international repercussions. I hear from friends across the Gulf of their dismay at rising Islamophobia in India & the PM's unwillingness to condemn it, let alone act decisively against it. 'We like India. But don't make it so hard for us to be your friends'."

Domestic actions have international repercussions. I hear from friends across the Gulf of their dismay at rising Islamophobia in India &the PM’s unwillingness to condemn it, let alone act decisively against it. “We like India.But don’t make it so hard for us to be your friends”. https://t.co/Bj9es8fbfS — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 18, 2022

Hitting out at the MP for Thiruvananthapuram, the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, from its official Twitter handle, said, "Sad to see an Hon'ble Member of Indian Parliament retweeting an anti-India tweet by a Pakistani agent who was recipient of a Pakistani Award 'Ambassador of Peace' for his anti-India activities. We should not encourage such anti-India elements."

Soon after, Tharoor issued a clarification and said that he doesn't endorse the individual, whom he had never heard of, but is concerned about the sentiment he conveys, "which is sadly shared by many who are friends of India".

"While accepting @indembkwt's view, I urge GoI not2give ammo to such anti-India elements by condoning misconduct here," he tweeted.

I don't endorse this individual, whom i'd never heard of, but am concerned about the sentiment he conveys, which is sadly shared by many who are friends of India. While accepting @indembkwt's view, I urge GoI not2give ammo to such anti-India elements by condoning misconduct here. https://t.co/5McqqMwqtQ — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 18, 2022

Earlier on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs had reiterated its stand on criticism by some countries over the simmering dress code row in Karnataka, saying comments by outsiders on internal issues will not be acceptable.

(With agency inputs)